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Argentina-based Cresud managed 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of land in South America. For 20 years, the publicly traded company's strategy had been to acquire underutilized properties and turn them into productive farmland for cattle and crops. In 2014, Cresud's CEO wondered if the strategy was still correct in the face of falling commodity prices, more powerful input companies, and potentially positive changes in Argentina's political environment.

learning objective:

To help students understand how a country's choice of agricultural and other economic policies impacts industry development. To consider the impact of technology on farming and, in particular, how this has changed scale. To assess the medium- and long-term potential for farmland appreciation. To discuss the role of private and corporate investors in farming and farmland ownership.

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This note describes the history of Argentina agriculture and how it has been affected by government policies and new technologies.

learning objective:

To help students understand how a country's choice of agricultural and other economic policies impacts industry development. To consider the impact of technology on farming and, in particular, how this has changed scale.

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JBS is a Brazilian protein company that started in beef, but has quickly expanded into pork and chicken, and around the world. The company has many critics who say it has expanded too quickly and that it is overextended financially. The case allows the reader to form their own opinion and consider whether the success/failure of the company is due to the personal style of the CEO, Wesley Batista. A current issue is the recent expansion of the company into value-added protein products in a division called JBS Foods.

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Louis Dreyfus Commodities (LDC or Dreyfus) is the D of the ABCD grain-trading giants. The case describes how their business works and details the strategy by which management turned the company around in recent years. The case presents a number of issues facing the company: a sense of volatility in grain markets is getting lower, recent attempts by China to forward-integrate into grain procurement, and changes in ownership. A related question is the degree to which they should emphasize pure trading or participate in value-added activities.

learning objective:

The case explains how grain trading works and the challenges of today's environment.

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To maximize their effectiveness, color cases should be printed in color.

Diageo, the world's leading premium drinks business, had a long history in Africa starting from its beer brand, Guinness, first exported to Sierra Leone in 1827. By 2013, 13% of Diageo's global revenues were from Africa, up from 9% in 2007. Diageo Africa President Nick Blazquez was considering how to seize the opportunities presented by rising populations and incomes while navigating increased competition and the unique challenges presented by frontier markets. The case describes Diageo's innovation process and two recent product launches developed specially for Africa. It also discusses government relations and the need to develop local production and raw material supply chains.

learning objective:

- Highlight Africa as an investment opportunity.- Identify the challenges involved in accessing the African market and possible solutions.- Discuss the broader management skill set required for success in emerging markets.- Consider the strategic role of innovation in market success.

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In November 2013, Dr. Jose Pinto, head of Grupo Beta San Miguel (BSM), Mexico's largest private sugar producer, is weighing the future prospects of the Mexican sugar industry as he considers whether BSM should bid on one of the state-owned sugar mills slated for auction. His decision will be informed by dynamics in the North American sugar market-NAFTA affords Mexico unique duty-free access to the U.S.-as well as the world sugar market and other major sugar-producing countries, especially Brazil.

learning objective:

To evaluate the regulatory history of sugar and consider the future of the North American sugar market.

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OSI, one of the world's largest suppliers of processed meats to McDonald's and other QSRs, was in the middle of a $400M expansion in China that included backward integration into poultry production. However, its current customers took only a portion of each bird produced and OSI had to develop a go-to-market strategy for the rest. The case describes the opportunities and challenges of operating in China and raises questions involving vertical integration, competitive positioning, corporate strategy, organizational design, marketing and branding, and the management of business and political risk.

learning objective:

To gain insight into the opportunities and challenges of operating in China. To explore the factors that lead a company to vertically integrate. To provide an overview of the trends shaping the Chinese agricultural sector. To think about channels and branding in China.

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From modest beginnings as a cashew trader in Nigeria, Olam, founded by Indian nationals in 1989, has grown into a leading global agricultural trading company, with annual revenues of $14 billion. The company recently has begun investing in farms and in the production of packaged goods, shifting from its traditional focus on the midstream of the value chain. The case raises questions involving competitive positioning, corporate strategy, sustainable development, and the management of business and political risk.

learning objective:

Understand the changes that are occurring in the value chains for agricultural commodities and the resultant opportunities for firms. Understand the costs and benefits of increasing vertical, horizontal, and geographic scope within the firm. Explore the relationships between sustainable development and company strategy. Examine and evaluate firm strategies for managing business risk in commodities, including price risk, counterparty risk, holdup risk, and political risk. Consider the roles of leadership and corporate culture in creating and maintaining strategic advantage.

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